


Battling Demons

by Mary1425



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Attempted Suicide, BoyxBoy, Depression, Homophobia, Nursing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, anguish, hades is a good father, thugs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29044434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mary1425/pseuds/Mary1425
Summary: first of all, I want to clarify that the rights to this story belong to "@daughter_of_olympus" and you can find it on WattpadSequel to Healing the DarkTakes place four months after Healing the Dark. It is time for the Winter Solstice. Nico and Will are finally together......but that doesn't stop problems or heartache.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Many Happenings

**AYE! WELCOME TO THE SEQUEL OF HEALING THE DARK! DONT FORGET TO VOTE, COMMENT, AND SHARE!**

**GO READ THE FIRST BOOK IF YOU HAVEN'T!**

Will's POV:

It had been four months since Leo had returned to Camp Half-Blood. Four months since Will and Nico had had their first kiss since Nico and Will made their relationship official. In September, he had stayed longer than usual at Camp Half-Blood to make sure Nico was healthy enough. He eventually had to go back to Texas to reunite with his mother and continue high school. He was in his sophomore year.

It was December now, and Will would be returning to Camp Half-Blood, to Nico. He had seen Nico at least once every two weeks, traveling from Florida to New York as often as possible. Connor Stoll and Lou Ellen had hooked Will and Nico up with cellphones that would not alert monsters of their locations, so once Nico had gotten accustomed to the technology of the 21st century, he and Will texted constantly. Because of exams and how busy school got as well as volunteering at the hospital, Will had not seen Nico in a month. And he was unbelievably excited to see his boyfriend.

It was nearing midnight, but Will had never felt more awake. He had gotten off his shift at the hospital at 6 and packed like crazy to get here tonight. He wanted to see Nico and the rest of his siblings. He had ridden a Pegasus to camp. He started grinning as he walked up the hill, seeing the Big House. He walked through the barrier, leading the Pegasus back into camp and suddenly the ground was not covered with snow anymore. He thought about letting Chiron know he was back, but he was too excited to see Nico. His face flashed in Will's vision and suddenly, he could not wait any longer.

He began sprinting down the hill to Cabin 13. Heart beating fast, he knocked on the door. He meant to surprise Nico, who did not think he was coming until tomorrow and he hoped Nico was still awake. When he got no response, he quietly turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open, saying "Nico?"

Moonlight spilled into the cabin, revealing the recently redecorated cabin. Nico had spent weeks meticulously drawing up plans for a new cabin and finally discovered one he liked. With Annabeth's architectural skills, he managed to draw up some blueprints. He then summoned some skeletons to help build the new cabin. Even though Will had told him to be careful with using his powers, Nico had completely ignored him, resulting in him being admitted to the infirmary.

Needless to say, Nico was no longer allowed to use skeletons to build his cabin and relied on the kindness of other campers. The new-look was much nicer than the previous one. The coffin beds had been replaced by actual beds, but there were only two, one on each side of the room for Hazel and Nico. Will's gaze swiveled to the left side of the room where Nico's bed lay. All he could see was a lump under the giant comforter. Grinning, he dropped his bag by the front door as he closed it, the cabin in near darkness. He slipped off his shoes and padded over to Nico's bed. He knelt and started to pull back the covers. He revealed his boyfriend. Who was shaking? Panic overtook Will. He was having a nightmare. Will lightly touched Nico, trying to wake him, but Nico threw his hands.

"No! Si prega di non fare! Non farmi del male!" ("Don't! Please do not! Don't hurt me!") Nico screamed.

No! Will thought. Although Nico could control his dreams, the past couple of times he had done it, he had drained his powers that he had almost faded. Will forbade him to control his dreams and started giving him sleeping draughts, which promised dreamless sleep. They had always worked and the fact that Nico was having nightmares proved that they either stopped working, or Nico had stopped taking them. He thought of all this in an instant and snapped back into action. He grabbed for Nico's hand to try to calm him down and to take his pulse. His heart was racing.

"Nico! It is okay! It is me! It's Will!" Will pushed the hair out of Nico's eyes. Nico flinched back, covering his face with his arms.

"No! Puoi farmi male! Basta non far loro del male!" ("Don't! You can hurt me! Just don't hurt them!") Tears were running down Nico's face, and sobs were penetrating his pleas.

Will felt helpless. He wished he knew what Nico was saying. He started shaking Nico's shoulder, trying to wake him up, but he could not do it.

"Please wake up Nico, please! It is Will, it is Will! I'm home." Nico let out a scream that broke Will's heart.

"No! Bianca! Mi dispiace! Ho cercato di portare indietro! Mi dispiace!" ("No! Bianca! I'm sorry! I tried to bring you back! I'm sorry!") He was dreaming about Bianca. That really was not good. Although he did not talk about it, Will knew that Nico had, in some way, encountered Bianca while he was in Tartarus. Which meant he was currently trapped in there. And Will could not get him out. He started crying with Nico.

"Nico," he pleaded. "Please wake up. Please, baby, please."

"No! Will," Hearing his name, broke his heart.

"I'm right here! I love you." Will said, desperately.

"Per favore non dire così! Io ti amo. Ti amo tanto!" ("Please don't say that! I love you. I love you so much!") Although Will did not speak fluent Italian, he recognized those words. Io ti amo. Nico was saying he loved him. He gathered Nico in his arms, ignoring his struggles.

"Shh, shh angel, it's okay. You are not there anymore. It is okay! Shh, I'm here!" Nico continued struggling, as if under attack.

Will began to sing, softly. As he sang, Nico stopped struggling but continued to shake. Will could hear him sobbing, so he started singing louder. His eyes slid shut, as he poured his heart into the song, holding onto Nico, threading his fingers through the son of Hades' hair. Will's eyes opened as he felt Nico shoot up. Nico frantically looked around the room, breathing heavily. Will lightly touched Nico's shoulder and Nico flinched. He whipped around, scrambling away.

"Shh, shh Nico, it's okay!" He crawled towards Nico as he tried to get away. As Nico pulled himself from the terror of the nightmare, he started to realize that he was in his cabin. In Camp Half-Blood. Not Tartarus. He finally noticed Will.

"Will," he whimpered, crawling into his arms. He started sobbing into Will's chest.

"Shh, shh. It is okay baby, it is okay. You are safe. You aren't there anymore." Will held onto Nico tightly.

It took about twenty minutes for Nico to stop crying and get his breathing under control. He picked up his head and looked down at Will.

"Better?" Will traced Nico's cheekbones. Nico flinched and grunted in pain. Will was confused as to why. Nico closed his eyes, nuzzling into Will's hand, and nodded.

"I thought-" Nico started, but his voice was raw with emotion. He cleared his throat. "I thought you weren't getting here until tomorrow."

"I wanted to surprise you," Will whispered. "You surprised me. Do you want to talk about it?" Nico grimaced, eyes scrunching, giving Will his answer. "You told me you haven't had a nightmare in a while." As Will said that, Nico's eyes open and he shifted, sitting up. Will picked up on his discomfort. "Nico, have you been having nightmares?"

"No." His eyes would not meet Will's. Will sat up, lacing their hands together.

"Nico, look at me." Onyx's eyes met blue. "Have you been having nightmares?" Nico sighed, defeated.

"Yes."

"How frequently?" Will could guess, judging by the bags under his boyfriend's eyes.

"The last month," Will sucked in a breath.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have changed your dosage of sleeping draught."

Nico was looking at the covers and their intertwined hands. "I didn't want you to worry. I knew you were busy." The son of Hades said quietly.

"That doesn't matter. I am never too busy for you, Nico," he gently grabbed Nico's chin, bringing it up so he could see the younger boy's face, but Nico turned his face away. Will's eyebrows furrowed. Nico was hiding something. "Nico? What are you hiding?"

"I-N-nothing!" Will's eyebrows furrowed more deeply. He saw Nico's gaze flicker to the side table and back to the covers. Will followed his glance and saw a bottle of sleeping draught on the table, unopened. No.

"Have you been taking your sleeping draught, Nico?" At that, Nico released Will's hand and got off the bed. "Nico?"

Nico whipped around. "No, I haven't Solace. I haven't been taking that stupid draught for a month."

Will felt a touch of disappointment. He thought Nico was getting better. "Why haven't you taken any? Are you cutting again?" Nico hesitated which answered the question. A sense of sadness and guilt swept over Will. He slowly got up and walked over to Nico. "Let me see."

"No!" Nico grasped his wrist and lunged out of the way. "Leave me alone, Will!" Will held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just to understand what's wrong Nico, why did you stop taking your draught?"

"That's none of your business." Those words sent a surge of anger through Will.

"It is all of the business, Nico. First off, I am your boyfriend. Second, I am your doctor. I care about you and your wellbeing-"

"Are you sure about that, Solace? Where were you when my father makes me do his dirty work at ungodly hours? Or when an Ares kid beat me- Where have you been the last month? When I needed you most?" Nico exploded. One phrase rang in Will's mind.

"Hold up, an Ares kid beat you up? When did this happen?" Rage flowed through Will.

"It doesn't matter. You weren't here to help." Guilt sparked inside Will.

"Nico, I have to go to school, you know that." Nico looked sheepish after that. "I would never choose to leave you if I was given the option."

"I know that."

"This isn't about me is it?"

"No. It is not. I am sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Will took a step closer to Nico. "Want to tell me what it is about?" Nico shook his head. Will took a step closer. "Please?" Nico looked up and Will stepped in front of him. The light from the dying fire caught Nico's face, and Will saw bags under his eyes and a fading bruise on his face. Will gasped. "Who did that to you?" He was faced with silence. He sighed and gently took Nico's arm and rolled up the sleeve. New gashes made a crisscross pattern across the pale arm. Will sucked a breath in. "How long have you been doing this?"

"The last month. When we weren't able to talk." Nico said, quietly. Will guided Nico to his bathroom, switching on the light. Nico shuddered away from the light, throwing a hand over his eyes. He sat him down on the side of the tub, grabbed supplies, and sat on the floor in front of him.

"Why didn't you tell me, Nico? You told me you were fine. Why did you lie?" He gently removed Nico's hands from his face. The harsh light showed the damage on Nico's face. Bags under his eyes revealed his exhaustion. The fading bruise was in the shape of a fist. Will looked into Nico's eyes.

"I don't know."

"Don't you lie to me, Nico? Tell me what this is all about. Because I know it's not about me being at school."

"It's because I'm weak." Will dropped the bottle of rubbing alcohol he was holding.

"What? Nico, you are the opposite of weak. What got you thinking like that?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Will sighed, defeated. He picked up the bottle. He unscrewed the bottle of alcohol, poured it on a cotton swab, and started dabbing Nico's arm. Nico hissed in pain, trying to pull away, but Will gripped his arm.

"I know it hurts, but we have got to get you cleaned up." He started making his way up Nico's arm. He glanced up at Nico's face. Tears were streaming down his face. Will decided to put Nico's physical wellbeing first, as he seems to have many injuries. He would worry about his mental state after cleaning him up. "When's the last time you slept, Nico?"

"Tonight. And before that, about a week ago." Will closed his eyes, in worry.

"Nico," he breathed. "What other injuries do you have besides your arms?" Nico shifted.

"I don't know. I know I have some chest injures" Will sighed. He wrapped Nico's arms.

"Take off your shirt." Nico grimaced in pain as he pulled off his shirt. Will gasped as he saw Nico's torso, littered with cuts and bruises. "Nico, how did you get these? Why haven't you gotten them treated?"

"I got them because I'm weak! I am so weak. I cannot handle these tasks my father is giving me. I keep training and training, but I cannot get any stronger. I keep passing out when I use my powers. I am too weak to even fight my nightmares, so I stopped taking the draught because I should not need help to sleep, but I kept getting worse nightmares. I was too weak. I started cutting again. I wanted to tell you, but I was too weak. And I knew you were busy. I didn't want to be a disturbance." Will's heart broke as Nico told his tale.

"What about that Ares kid? Is he responsible for some of these injuries?"

Nico gulped. "Yes."

"Please, Nico," Will begged. "Please tell me what happened."

Nico looked deeply into Will's eyes. The two boys fought a silent battle with their gazes. Nico broke it off first, eyes flitting to the ground. "About a week ago, I was walking in the forest to try to get my mind off everything and I walked up on this Ares kid beating up this young Hermes camper. He was calling this kid disgusting for being... For being gay. This made me a little angry, so I confronted the guy telling him to stop picking on the kid and pick on someone his own side. He let the kid go and turned to me. The kid ran. I tried to summon some skeletons, but the kid grabbed me and started beating me up. I don't know how long he did so because I passed out."

Will felt anger surge through him. He was going to kill this Ares kid. Why has he not been there to help Nico? And where were the rest of "Nico's friends" who were supposed to be there for him?

"Where was Jason? Or Percy? Or your other friends that could have helped you?"

"Everyone is coming down for Christmas in a couple of days. But right now, Jason and Piper are at Camp Jupiter with Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. Percy and Annabeth finishing up their senior year in New York. Leo and Calypso are Gods know where on Festus. And I don't really talk to anyone else."

"No one noticed though. If your condition has been deteriorating for the last month-"

Nico stood up and shook off Will's hands which were working in patching up his chest. "No one notices me, Will. Look, I am fine. So, if you wanna head out-"

Will stood and walked so he was in front of Nico. He brought Nico's chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "I notice you. I notice everything about you. And you are not fine, Nico. And you know what? That is okay. Because you will be okay. And I will be there for you, every step of the way."

He tilted his head, and adjusted his grip on Nico's jaw, careful not to aggravate the bruise. Their lips met. Will felt Nico melt against him. Will moved his hands to Nico's waist and encouraged Nico to wrap his legs around his waist. Nico obliged, not breaking the kiss. Will slowly walked them over to the bed. He laid the son of Hades on his back and propped himself over him. He broke off the kiss looking down at Nico. "I love you." He whispered.

"I know," Nico breathed. "I missed you so much."

He grabbed Will's face reconnecting their lips. Before the two boys could get lost in each other, Will broke off the kiss. Nico whimpered in frustration.

"You are hurt, Nico. Let me help you." Will whispered.

Nico closed his eyes, before nodding.

Will reached for the side table. He grabbed the vial of sleeping draught there and uncorked it. "You need sleep more than anything," he whispered. He brought the vial to Nico's lips and tipped the contents into Nico's mouth. Nico swallowed it obediently. His body relaxed as the draught took effect. Within moments, the son of Hades was sleeping peacefully.


	2. Passed Out

Will's POV:

Will flicked on the lamp on the bedside table to begin examining the now sleeping Nico. He peered down at Nico's bruised and lacerated chest. Most of these looked like they were from monsters, but they would heal nicely with ambrosia and nectar. Some of the cuts looked self-made. Will sighed heavily and looked down at Nico's pants. He slightly pulled them down to look at Nico's thighs. Just as he had thought. Completely ravaged. And he had been doing so well. The difference one month can make.

He could not believe he or any of Nico's friends had let this get so out of hand. Even though they were all busy, someone should have stayed with Nico while he recovered. He trusted Kayla to look after Nico when he was gone. But it was not just her fault.

An inkling of guilt twinged as Will continued to examine his boyfriend. He did not know the last time Nico had eaten. Looking at his boyfriend, Will guessed it had been days; that meant that he could not risk feeding him ambrosia. He started humming a hymn and his started to glow. He rubbed his hands together and began humming more loudly, running his hands, without touching, over Nico's body. The cuts and bruises slowly started disappearing. As the wounds healed, Will got more and more exhausted. Healing Nico always drained him.

After about twenty minutes, when all the worse cuts had been sealed, Will moved his hands over Nico's face. The bruise and bags under his eyes disappeared and Nico was finally healed. Dark spots blinked in Wills's vision. Uh oh, Will thought I overtaxed myself. Will started to blackout as he aimed himself to the side of Nico, hoping to avoid crushing the boy. As his head hit the pillow, darkness embraced him.

🍆🍑 🍆🍑 🍆🍑 🍆🍑

Nico's POV:

Nico woke slowly, blinking crust out of his eyes. He felt strangely at peace and started to sink back into sleep. He turned to his side and found himself looking into a face. He screamed, startled, and fell out of the bed. He hit the ground and rolled into a crouch, grabbing a knife that was on the floor. He pointed it at the figure in his bed.

"Who are you?" The figure did not move. Nico cautiously got up. He peered down at the figure and realized it was Will. "Gods! Will!" Nico dropped the knife, going to grab his boyfriend's shoulders. Nico shook them, but to no avail as Will did not stir.

Nico screwed his eyes in concentration, struggling to remember why Will was here. He was not supposed to arrive until the next day. Why was he here? And why was he asleep in Nico's bed? He looked at his hands as he tried to recollect what had happened. He noticed that his cuts were faint. He pulled them closer to inspect them. The skin was merely scar tissue now. He looked all up his arms. Unscathed. He pulled up his shirt to look at his stomach. All the bruises had faded. The cuts merely scar now. He glanced at the bedside table and saw an empty vial. That is what it was. Never say that Nico was slow upon waking up.

He shook Will again with no response. That confirmed Nico's suspicion. Will had healed him and passed out. Which explained why he was not waking up.

"Will, c'mon, you need to wake up," he shook him more vigorously. Will was dead to the world. "Will!" No response. A cold feeling settled over Nico. Had Will completely depleted his energy? That was not good. He needed to get Will to the infirmary.

He grabbed his phone as he rushed out of his cabin. He jogged across the lawn and made it to the steps of the Big House. He walked through the house and pushed his way into the Infirmary doors. As the door hit the wall, Kayla jumped at the desk she was sitting at, dropping her pen.

"Holy Zeus, Nico. You scared me!" She caught sight of Nico's face and immediately stood, walking over to him. "What happened? Are you okay? When is the last time you ate? You look so gaunt! And so exhausted! I was going to come and check on you before Will got here. " She peered into his eyes, placing a guiding hand onto his arm to try and led him to a bed.

"Fine! Kayla, I am fine! But Will..."

Kayla interrupted him. "Yes, yes Will is arriving later today. But are you sure you are alright? I know I have not checked on you the past week or so. I've just been so busy."

"Kayla-"

"You haven't been cutting have you?"

"Kayla-"

"Because Will would kill me. Do you need more sleeping-"

"KAYLA! Will is hurt!"

"What? How?!" Panic set over Kayla as the words registered. She frantically started gathering up supplies.

"I tried... Look it doesn't matter. He is not badly hurt. He got here last night. He was healing me, and I think he drained his energy." Kayla's eyes narrowed as she stopped.

"Why was he healing you, Nico?" Nico shrugged off her question.

"Look that doesn't matter. Are you going to help me or not?"

Kayla gestured to two of her siblings who had wandered in to see what the commotion was. "Go with Nico to his cabin and bring Will in here. He's drained himself yet again." They nodded and Nico started to lead them out. "Oh, and Nico?" He turned. "Don't you dare think this is over because we will be talking about this once you get back in here?"

Nico gulped as he led the two Apollo kids out. Kayla had taken over Will's job as Nico's doctor while Will was at school, so she knew all about his self-harm, eating, and sleeping habits. Nico had fought with Will about him telling Kayla, but he had eventually conceded, with the promise that Kayla would not judge or tell anyone.

She had been swamped the past couple of weeks as well so had been unable to see the deterioration of Nico's health. Nico knew that Will would be livid with his sister for not making sure Nico was okay. Nico knew that he was also in for another lecture from Will when he woke up. Nico hoped he would soon.

Nico sat next to Will in the infirmary, thinking how backward it was. It was usually him in the bed and Will sitting anxiously by his side. He bounced his knees up and down as he pulled out his phone. He glanced at the date on his phone and saw that it was December 20th. One day before the Winter Solstice. Where he and his friends had been invited to on Mount Olympus. The gods were honoring them for their defeat of the giants. Nico was shocked that the gods even remembered to thank them in the first place.

He looked down to see he had texts from Jason, Percy, Leo, and Hazel, all saying they would be coming at around dinner time which was at 6. It was already 5:30. He shot a quick text saying 'Great! See you then,' so they wouldn't worry. Nico wished they were not arriving today because he did not want them to see how terrible he had gotten and for them to all be disappointed. He did not think he could handle that.

He grabbed Will's hand into his, hoping for the support he needed. Will was on an IV and Kayla had said that he would probably be awake by nightfall. He had avoided her lecture, but he had a feeling he was still going to get one. And speaking of the devil, Kayla walked in with a tray of food. She set the tray down and put her hands on her hips, looking at Nico.

"We need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you, Kayla. What has done is done, and you have no proof that I even did anything." Nico snapped.

"The proof I have is lying comatose in front of you..."

"You are blaming this on me?"

"Well, I mean he is in here because of you. He wouldn't have hurt himself like this, almost killing himself if it weren’t for you." The second she said it, Nico could see that she regretted it. But the damage was already done. "Nico, I didn-"

Nico stood to confront Kayla. "You know what? You are right. He hurt himself because of me. Next time, I'll be sure to kill myself, so he doesn't hurt himself again."

"Nico!"

"I am so sorry for the fact that I got beat up and decided to slice my own wrists open because I am too weak to get help from someone who won't hurt themselves trying to make sure that I am 100% healthy. I am more ashamed than you are disappointed. If you are going to continue to chew me out, you can leave."

One phrase stuck out to Kayla. "Wait, who beat you up?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Yes, it is! Will made it my responsibility to look after you!"

"I don't need to be babysat no matter what Will thinks. And you did not do a very good job, did you? Will wouldn't be in here if you had done your job." Kayla reeled back.

"Don't you dare try to blame this on me, Nico..."

"Oh, that's right. This is all my fault. It is my own fault for getting beat up because I am weak and helpless and gay. I cut myself because I am incompetent and scream myself awake every morning because of the nightmares I have. It is my fault for getting sucked in Tartarus and put through hell. Thanks for reminding me what I am constantly thinking about 24/7. How courteous of you." Nico spat at Kayla. She stepped back. "Now if you would be so kind as to get out and leave me alone with my boyfriend."

"I'll leave you two be." She said quietly. She gestured to the bedside table where the tray sat. "This is for you. You looked a little gaunt, so I got you some food."

Nico sunk back into his chair, staring lazily at his boyfriend. It was his fault that Will continued to deplete himself. If Nico were strong enough not to cut himself or strong enough to fight his opponents, Will wouldn't hurt himself. But Nico was not strong and that was the problem. Nico was the problem. And he needed to fix that. Dropping his boyfriend's hand and ignoring the tray of food, Nico walked out of the infirmary, his mind on his mission.

**Yep. A short one. Sorry. Not.**


	3. Olympian Heroes

Jason's POV:

Jason stumbled as he was pulled out of the shadow of a tree, still grasping Piper's hand. Hazel had shadow-traveled him, Frank, Piper, Reyna, and herself from Camp Jupiter to right outside Camp Half-Blood. Percy had called Blackjack and Guido earlier in the day, not wanting to make Hazel carry two extra people, and was projected to arrive around the same time from New York. Leo was arriving from who knows where on Festus.

Adjusting his glasses, he glanced at Piper, smiling. She looked like she was going to throw up. He moved his hand to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she waved his hand away, saying that she was fine. He looked around at everyone. Everyone's faces were bright, excited to be at Camp Half-Blood. Except for Reyna, but Jason could tell she was secretly pleased. Hazel had been practicing jumping, so she no longer passed out traveling far distances. All she needed was a square of ambrosia which Frank was already giving her.

Jason looked around, making sure everyone was okay and received nods of affirmation as they started over the hill and across the boundary. The snow disappeared and grass appeared beneath their feet. Travis Stoll, who had been on the lookout, jumped from the tree to come and greet the demigods. He first approached Jason.

"Welcome back, Jay. How's California?" He asked, shaking his hand, and pulling him into a side hug. Jason clapped him on the back for a second and released his grip before responding.

"Quite a lot warmer than this, I can say that. Where is the rest of our welcome committee?" Jason was disappointed that Nico had not come to meet them. After all, he had seemed excited that they were coming home and had texted them saying he would meet up with them. But then again, it was Nico, so he did not really expect anything different from the son of Hades. He was not one for social interactions. At any rate, he was probably spending time with his boyfriend. He looked at Travis who he realized was speaking.

"...they sent me out to greet you guys and bring you to your 'welcome home feast'," he said with air quotes around 'welcome home feast'. "Which is exactly like a normal feast, just you guys will be there."

"That's sweet," Piper said.

"Alright, well let's get this party started then," Travis exclaimed.

"Have Percy or Leo arrived yet?" Reyna asked.

"Not yet, but it is just now 6, and we know how late demigods are sometimes. Especially those two" Travis joked. The five laughed. "Didn't it take you guys two weeks to get to Epirus when it was supposed to take three days?"

"Even with Annabeth and Calypso, those two still find ways to make trouble," Reyna said.

"I'm sure they'll get here soon. They would rather die than to miss a meal," Frank's response led to more laughter.

They arrived at the dining pavilion and their names started being called as friends noticed their arrival. Jason was separated from Piper as he shook hands with people and clapped his friends on the back. As he made, he made his way around the pavilion, he kept his eyes open for Nico, but the elusive son of Hades was nowhere in sight. But he was not the only one who noticed his absence.

"Wondering where Nico is?" Reyna muttered in Jason's ear.

"Have you seen him?" Jason asked, straightening up to survey the area with her.

"No, but Will is absent too, which makes me think he has something to do with it." Jason had not even noticed the son of Apollo missing. He spotted Kayla, concern knit in her eyebrows, and was beginning to make his way over to her before the stomping of hooves interrupted him. Chiron was standing, waiting to make an announcement. Nico would have to wait.

"Welcome back from Camp Jupiter. It is wonderful to see all of you and we are honored that you are part of the group that will be representing our camp and Jupiter at the Winter Solstice..."

The whinny of a horse interrupted him. He whipped around to see Percy and Annabeth arriving on their pegasi. The whole camp clapped as the two demigods descended. Percy grinned as he slid off Blackjack and helped Annabeth off another one. He muttered a few words to the pegasi and they trotted off.

As he turned to face the crowd, he was enveloped in a furry mass as Grover went to hug his best friend. Jason grinned. Percy and Annabeth were finishing up their senior year in New York and though Jason went to the camp frequently, he continually traveled between both camps because of his role as Pontifex Maximus, so he had not seen much of Percy in the last three months. He sauntered over and did a complicated handshake-hug with Percy.

"Welcome home, Perce."

"Thanks, Jay, it's great to be back." Everyone muttered their hellos and exchanged their hugs. After the initial commotion had settled down, Chiron cleared his throat. Everyone sat as he spoke.

"As I was saying, welcome home. We are honored to have you represent us-" a roar filling the sky. Festus appeared on the horizon, racing toward the camp. "Oh, for Zeus' sake, why do I even try?" Chiron grumbled. "Carry on with your greetings and dinner; we shall continue this announcement after the feast."

Jason stood, Piper, following as Festus landed on the beach. They walked down, a group following them, to meet Leo and Calypso. A tan Leo ran up to meet them. He barreled into Jason, hugging him fiercely.

"Hey man! Did ya miss me?" Leo asked. Jason laughed.

"Of course, I did. How was... wherever you were?" Jason asked, releasing his best friend.

"The Caribbean was beautiful, and the beaches were phenomenal," Calypso exclaimed, kissing Jason's cheek as he hugged her. "It's so nice not to be trapped on a beach anymore and just enjoy the sand."

"Yeah, I bet," Jason never knew exactly what to say to Calypso, because she had experienced such isolation that Jason could not even begin to fathom. But he tried his best because Leo loved her, and she was a pretty cool goddess. He watched as Percy and Annabeth awkwardly exchanged hugs with Calypso. There was still tension between the three that they had never worked out, but Jason did not know from where or what. Something about Ogygia and Tartarus, but Jason had never asked.

"Beauty queen, you are keeping Jason in line?" Leo asked, bestowing a hug onto Piper.

"Of course, I have to provide him the attention he needs when the second part of the bromance isn't there." She said sarcastically, winking at Jason.

"Did you guys decide on Lason, or Jeo?" Percy asked.

"Neither because I'm taken," Jason stated, pulling Piper to his side.

"Yeah, by me," Percy stated, inserting himself between Piper and Jason. "Jercy forever, bro."

"Now that Jason, Percy, and I are together, it is triple the trouble," Leo said, putting his arm around Percy's and Jason's necks.

"Oh boy." The respective girlfriends said in unison.

"Alright enough, are we the only sensible ones here?" Frank asked, looking at Hazel.

"I guess so," she agreed, quickly hugging Leo.

"We all need to be sensible considering we are representing both camps on Mount Olympus tomorrow," Reyna started, practical as ever.

She nodded at Calypso and Leo. Jason could tell she had great respect for the goddess. He wondered why she did not engage Calypso as much. After all, they had so much in common. The group stood in a loose circle. They were all silent for a moment.

"Heroes of Olympus, reunited," Hazel murmured, not wanting to ruin the pride that the moment brought.

"Not quite, where is Nico?" Jason said.

"Yeah, I noticed he was missing-"

"Y'all haven't seen him?-"

"Where is your brother, Hazel?"

"Didn't he text you guys saying he would be here?"

"Yes, Jason and I were talking," everyone fell silent as Reyna began speaking. She tended to have that effect on people. "And neither of us saw Nico or Will, so we don't know where they are, but they are most likely together."

"I can text Nico and ask him," Percy said, pulling out his phone.

"I noticed Kayla, and she looked really nervous about something so maybe that has something to do with it. We can go find and ask her-"

"There's no need," Frank said, gesturing. Jason turned to see Kayla approaching.

"Jason, I need to talk to you." She looked around at a large number of people in the group. "Privately."

"Okay." Jason glanced a meaningful look back to the group as he walked to the edge of the cabins with Kayla. She looked around; making sure no one was in sight before looking back at Jason. "What's this about?"

"It's Nico." Fear settled in the pit of Jason's stomach.

"Did something happen to him? Is he okay?"

"I don't know exactly what happened, but this morning he rushed into the infirmary, going on about how Will was hurt. We brought Will in, and he's okay now," she said to the concerned look on Jason's face. "Still unconscious but projected to wake up soon. Anyway, Nico and I had a... disagreement and we were both yellings at each other and I left the infirmary to let him cool off and when I returned, he was gone."

Alarm bells went off in Jason's head. It was never a good thing when Nico disappeared. He started formulating plans to search for Nico. Stop the thought Slow down. Take a deep breath. Think. Where would Nico go? "I don't think he left camp. He would not leave if Will were injured or hurt. He must still be somewhere on the grounds or in his cabin. Have you checked?"

Kayla shook her head. "I just discovered that he was missing and went to go find someone closer to him. And we just got into a fight and this is all my fault!" Kayla burst into tears, her head in her hands. Jason was surprised. Kayla was usually so levelheaded, especially in a crisis. What had Nico said to her? Or what had happened to Will? Jason patted her on the arm.

"Hey, there's no need for that. You know how Nico is. He does this sometimes, but he always comes back, and we always help him. This isn't your fault."

"B-but it is! A-and if I h-had just kept a cl-closer eye on him, we wouldn't have a t-this problem!" She spluttered between sobs. Jason put his arms on her shoulders.

"Look at me, Kayla. We are going to find him. I am almost 99% sure he is still at camp. He is just cooling off. And this is not your fault. Nico is not your responsibility and he does what he wants. Do not take the blame for Nico's actions, okay?" She just sniveled. "Okay?" He repeated. She nodded. "Alright, well why don't you go take the group and go to dinner, and I will go find Nico, okay?" Kayla nodded, composing herself. She wiped away tear tracks and nodded thanks to Jason.

Jason watched as she talked to the group and made some sort of excuse as to where Jason had gone. They all seemed to buy it and they accompanied Kayla to the dining pavilion. With his friends out of the way, Jason could focus on finding Nico. _Alright Nico, where are you hiding?_


	4. The Duel

Nico's POV:

Nico sliced the head off the training dummy. Practicing with straw figures was not the same as fighting a monster, but it was the only way he could think of to release his stress. He had summoned some skeletons, but that had only drained his energy.

Nico had heard the conch for dinner but had elected to ignore it. He did not feel like interacting with anyone or seeing any of his friends. He had heard Festus arrive, but he ignored that as well. He was only focused on fine-tuning his skills. Nico felt lightheaded, but he refused to stop. He needed to build up his strength. And if that meant training until he collapsed, then so be it. He cut down another training dummy.

"Now, what did that dummy do to deserve that?" Nico whipped around, sword centimeters away from slicing open Jason's throat. "Easy there, killer." Jason put his hands up in a defensive surrender.

Nico dropped his sword, turning away. "Don't sneak up on me like that." He used his sword point to sift through the remains of the dummy.

"Fair enough." The son of Jupiter stated. Nico looked up. Jason was smiling at him. "I'm happy to see you, man. I haven't seen you in weeks!"

"Yeah, hi, welcome back," Nico said shortly, stabbing his sword into another dummy.

"What's the reason for this massacre?" Jason gestured at the mutilated dummies.

"Training."

"Is today a one-word answer day?"

Nico, exasperated, looked up at Jason. "What do you want, Grace?"

Jason looked affronted. Nico only called him by his last name when he was angry with him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he averted his eyes.

"When's the last time you ate? Or slept?"

"Look, I'm glad you're back, but I really don't feel like going through an interrogation, thanks. Can you leave me alone? I was training before you interrupted me."

Jason sighed. "I'm just worried, Nico." He lightly punched Nico in the arm. "I'll train with you to spare these dummies from any more injuries. They are not that easy to make. Believe me, I've tried in arts and crafts. So. Much. Straw." He shivered. He blinked back the memory, before smirking at Nico. "But what do you say? A little one-on-one sparring session?"

He withdrew his gladius from his waistband and pointed it at Nico.

"Why not?" Nico agreed, realizing Jason was not going anywhere. Best make most of his training time.

He set his sword aside, not wanting to reap Jason of his soul in case he nicked him. He grabbed a well-balanced sword from the rack. He and Jason started walking in a defensive circle, around the middle of the arena, waiting for the other to attack.

"I don't think we've ever dueled before." Jason was trying to distract him. "Two sons of the Big Three, battling it out for glory and bragging rights. Who will strike-?" Nico lunged forward, cutting off Jason's monologue. Jason deflected his sword and used the wind to blow Nico backward. Nico landed in a crouch.

"So, we are playing with powers, are we? I can fight fire with fire," he muttered under his breath.

He stood, raising his arms, as Jason barreled towards him. Nico closed his eyes, waiting. The ground around him erupted. Jason faltered and stopped as skeletons began knitting themselves together. Jason tried to zap them away, but more kept forming and reforming. Nico felt his energy drain, but he had cornered Jason. He gripped the sword and walked through his ranks of the undead. He lashed out his sword which met Jason's in the air, sparking. They exchanged blows.

Suddenly, Jason's sword sliced his arm. Nico hissed at the pain, hefting his sword higher. He should have been able to deflect that blow. Jason was barely even trying, and he had hurt him!

Jason notices he had nicked Nico and attempted to stop. But Nico had other ideas. He continued to aim blows at the son of Jupiter. Jason fought back, but only defensively, not wanting to hurt Nico again. Nico noticed this and pushed Jason harder, forcing him to fight. Jason aimed another easy blow, one he expected Nico to block, but the sword hit its mark. It sliced Nico's arm again. Nico was surprised. Was he really that weak that he could not block easy moves?

"I'm sorry Nico. I thought you were going to block that one." Jason apologized. "Are you okay?"

Nico felt a wave of nausea. Black spots danced in his vision. He felt his skeletons collapse all around him. His sword fell from his hand as he pitched forward. He did not notice Jason move, but suddenly, he was on the ground, looking into Jason's eyes. He watched Jason's mouth open and close, but he could not discern what he was saying. His eyes started to close when nectar was trickled down his throat. Jason was helping him.

His nausea passed and he could see again. He found a concerned pair of eyes looking down at him.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked. Nico cleared this throat and pushed away from Jason. He stood up, quickly and found himself swaying slightly. "Easy there." Jason stood as well, steadying the boy. "You need to go to the infirmary. Will needs to check you out."

Nico gulped at Will's name. "I'm fine, thanks."

Jason saw right through his lie. "Uh-huh, is that why you almost passed out?"

"It's just a cut. There is no need to bother Will about it. He is busy with Winter Solstice stuff." Nico lied, unaware that Jason knew, for a fact, that Will was lying comatose in the infirmary.

"You won't go to the infirmary?"

"I'm fine." Nico insisted. "I just think I need to get a good night's sleep tonight. I want to be okay at the Solstice tomorrow."

Jason admitted defeat. "Alright, fine. I will escort you back to your cabin to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Nico nodded and grabbed his Stygian iron sword. He headed towards the arena exit, with Jason following him. He looked across the lawn and saw everyone still eating at the pavilion. Jason saw this too.

"Don't you need to eat dinner?" Jason asked. "I can eat with you; I'm starving."

"I- I ate with Will before I went to the arena." Nico fibbed.

"That's a lie," Jason called him out. Nico's heart started racing. How had he known?

"How would you know otherwise?" Nico said calmly. They had arrived at the Hades cabin. "You didn't arrive until about an hour ago."

Jason leaned against Nico's door, blocking his way. "I know that Will is in the infirmary-"

"- like he usually is-"

"-unconscious." Jason finished, ignoring Nico's interruption. "Want to explain why he is unconscious?"

"He's fine. And I am fine. Right now, I just won't sleep, so if you would please move over," he tried to push Jason out of the way. No chance. "I'd like to get into my cabin."

"Why are you lying?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

Jason threw his hands up in defeat. "I don't understand, Nico. I'm just worried about you. Why won't you let anyone in?"

"Why won't you let me into my cabin?" Nico retorted.

Jason continues, acting as if he did not hear the question. "I'm not the only one concerned. Kayla is-"

"Kayla doesn't care about me. And neither do you." Nico interrupted.

Jason scrunched his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? Of course, I do!"

"If you care about me, then let me go to sleep," Nico commanded. He stared down Jason. Jason did not look like he was going to back down, but after a few minutes, he relented. He stepped away from the door.

"Fine, you win. I would usually stay here to make sure you did not do anything drastic, but I know Hazel is sleeping here tonight and she does not know about your destructive habits. I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

Nico thought he heard a challenge in Jason's tone. "Are you threatening to tell my sister, Grace? After I confided in you?"

"Absolutely not. That was just to warn you that your sister is going to be here tonight, and I would not want her to find you in a pool of blood, would you?" Jason asked. "I'm trying to help, but I can't help you if you won't let me."

Nico pushed past him, opening the door. "I don't want your help and I definitely do not need your pity." He slammed the door in Jason's face.

He looked around his cabin and started to clean up. As he was picking up a t-shirt from the floor, he found a razor blade. He wanted badly to use it, but he knew Jason was right. He was weak for wanting to use it. And he was weak because of how easily Jason had beaten him. He used to be an expert swordsman, but that had apparently disappeared in the last couple of months. He felt so weak all the time. He could barely control his powers.

More self-loathing thoughts intruded and before he could stop himself, he was cutting three more slits into his wrists, matching the ones Jason had added earlier.

No, he thought Will just gave me a clean slate this morning, and here I go, wasting it. Will had caused himself pain, passing out after healing Nico. And Nico went and hurt himself again. Nico hated it when Will healed him because he was always so drained and exhausted afterward. Which was Nico's fault.

Nico just wanted to go back to the time when he could hurt himself and no one cared if he did or not. He wanted to be invisible again. People and their emotions were just too much for Nico. He wanted to hurt himself and only himself, no one else in the process. He wanted to go back to the time when he was a powerful demigod, not some amateur waving a sword around. He needed to be alone and isolated again. That was the only way he could get back on top of his game. He needed to cut himself off from his friends. Which, considering none of them had cared the past four months, would not be extremely difficult.

The problem would be trying to get William Solace to leave him alone. There was only one solution.

Nico would have to break up with Will.


	5. The Confrontation

Will's POV:

A faint beeping noise aroused him from his sleep. As the noise became louder, he noticed other things. He was in a hospital bed. He had a mask on his nose and mouth. Why was he in the infirmary? Oh. He remembered that he had drained himself healing Nico. Nico! His eyes flew open. He turned to see if Nico was sitting next to him, but the chair was vacant. Will felt a twinge of disappointment that he was not there, but also an immense amount of worry.

He had just wanted to heal Nico at the time and was unsure of his boyfriend's mental state now. He needed to find him before he did anything drastic. He sat up, pulling out the IV, and ripped off the mask. He put his feet on the floor and stood. The infirmary was empty except for him. He made his way to the infirmary door, but before he reached it, Kayla walked inside.

"He lives. You know that you keep scaring the crap out of me when you drain yourself, right?" She said, crossing her arms. Will felt sheepish for a second.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. By the way, I am in here because of Nico. Where is he?" Kayla pointedly looked away. "Kayla?"

"He left hours ago. It is about ten o'clock right now. I was nervous that he would do something, but Jason found him in the arena and brought him to his cabin, where he's apparently been asleep."

"Why did you think he'd do something? Is he okay?"

"He and I had a little... confrontation and some harsh words were exchanged."

"I thought I asked you to look out for Nico and make sure he was okay and eating and sleeping and not cutting. And I come back to him, beat up, bruised, and bloody as well as exhausted and starving. His wrists and thighs were worse than I have seen them in a while. He looked dead on his feet. He has not been sleeping at all. And he got beat up! On your watch! And you or nobody else noticed!"

"I'm sorry, but it's honestly hard to control and keep track of him all the time." She said feebly.

"To keep track of him? Kayla, I did not ask you to be with him for twenty-four hours a day. I asked you to see him at least once a day or even once a week to make sure he is healthy! And you failed to do that. We are back to square one and he is cutting again and having nightmares and not eating and lying to me. And if that is not worst, he got beat up by someone at camp! And nobody noticed! I asked you to do one simple thing Kayla and you failed to do so!" He yelled.

Kayla's bottom lip trembled. "Will, I'm sorry, I truly am. I know you made it my responsibility, but I obviously could not handle it. Nico is a mess, and I don't know how to fix him."

Will sighed, anger melting away and replaced by guilt for getting angry with his sister. "I know. I am sorry for yelling. He needs some serious help, helps that I should not expect you to be able to provide, if I, as his boyfriend, cannot even provide. I might have to ask Chiron for help because I do not think I can do this on my own. Something is seriously wrong, and I want to be able to help him, but I do not know if I can.

"Think about it, in four months, all his progress completely disappeared and he's back to cutting himself again. I do not understand how it got so bad. And I also do not get why someone would give him crap when he is in this delicate state. I don't even know the kid who beat him up, but once I find him-"

"-There is no reason to sink to his level." A voice from the shadows uttered. Both Kayla and Will jumped, as Nico slinked into the infirmary.

Will felt like he got caught red-handed. "How much of that did you-"

"Enough," Nico cut him off. "Enough to know that none of this was Kayla's fault and I don't know why you are blaming her for my weakness."

"I just asked for her to check up on you every so often-"

"You asked her to babysit me. I do not need your protection, William. I'm a big boy and can take care of myself."

"Really? Could have fooled me." Will snipped.

"Nice, let's play a game called make rude comments about the mentally ill kid, that'll boost his confidence and lessen the need for him to cut," Nico said, sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it... For god’s sake. Nico, you have depression and anxiety, and those things are okay, but you must accept help with dealing with them. That's why I asked Kayla to look after you!" As he spoke, Will noticed Kayla slowly inch out and leave the infirmary, not wanting to get out in the middle of a fight.

"I can deal with them on my own. And all the help I have ever gotten has all been for naught considering I am in a worse state now, after getting help than ever before. Oh yeah, and now I'm getting beat up for it too."

"I will help you find this bully and bring him to ju-"

"No! And therefore, I do not ask for help! Will, I can fight my own battles. This is not your fight and not your issue."

"The moment someone hurts you or something happens to you, it becomes my issue. As your boyfriend, it is my job to help you solve your issues."

"I don't need your help. It makes me feel weak when you say that. And that feeling of weakness worsens my mental health. I can fight my own battles and deal with my own issues on my own. I don't want your help!"

"Well, that's too bad, because I'm going to continue to give it to you. I am your boyfriend, and I am going to continue to help you. That's what the definition of a boyfriend is-"

"Then I'm breaking up with you!" The words rang out in the empty infirmary. It took Will a minute to process and respond to what Nico had just said. Breaking up with me?

"Excuse me?" He whispered, not daring to believe that those were the words that had just exited Nico's mouth.

"You heard me, I'm breaking up with you." Will could not believe his ears. This had to be some sort of joke, right?

"No, no, don't play with me, Nico. This is just some self-deprecating ploy to try and distance yourself from me. I do not believe it for one second. You are just trying to isolate yourself. That's not going to happen."

"It's not a ploy. It is not a joke or a trick. I am breaking up with you! I have been planning it for a while. I realized that I don't love you and I don't need you anymore." The words stabbed Will like tiny swords. No.

"You don't love me?"

"No, I don't. You are too demanding and try to fight my battles and give me the protection that I do not need. I do not need you, Will. I don't need you!"

"But, but I need you, Nico." Tears burned in Will's eyes. "I-I love you."

"I don't love you. Why would I need you? You can't even heal me."

"How dare you say that Nico-"

"How dare I? How dare you to go behind my back, criticize me, and try to involve people that will put me in a loony bin. I heard all of that when you were talking to Kayla. You want to 'protect me' by doing that. I do not need you! I will be fine on my own. "

"Nico, please-"

"I don't love you and I don't need you. Thanks for trying but I do not need you anymore. I'll bring your stuff over after the Solstice tomorrow. Goodbye Will," he hissed.

"No, Nico, don't go-" but Nico was already out the door. No, this cannot be happening Will thought. I am in a dream and I am going to wake up soon. This cannot be real. This cannot be real. This cannot be real.

Will collapsed on the floor, sobbing. He loved Nico, and Nico had just broken his heart and broken up with him. He did not know how long he stayed like that until Kayla came in, asking what had happened. He explained everything through his tears, sobbing about how Nico did not love him anymore. But little did he know that across the camp, in Cabin 13, a certain son of Hades was on his floor sobbing just as hard as Will, with no one to comfort him.


	6. The Aftermath

Nico's POV:

A loud knock on the door woke him.

"Rise and shine, Nico. Today is the day to meet the gods!" Jason's voice rang out. Nico looked around, realizing he was collapsed on the floor. He glanced down to see last night's work on his arms. "Are you awake? Can I come-"

Panic shot through Nico as the door handle rattled "No, no, no! I-I'm not wearing anything."

"Okay, geez, sorry. I was just making sure you were awake."

"Yeah, I am. I was- just changing."

"Are you sure you are not otherwise occupied? With a certain someone?" Jason joked. The words sent a stab of pain through Nico's heart. He did not respond. "Nico. I was kidding. I have not seen him at all this morning. I thought he was in here waking you up."

"He's probably in the infirmary or something. You can go on to breakfast. I'll meet you there shortly. I have to shower." Nico said, changing the subject. If Jason had noticed the subject change, he did not say anything about it.

"Alright, I'll be sure to save you a spot. Everyone missed you last night and are excited to see you." Nico listened as Jason's footsteps retreated.

He let out a sigh of relief that the son of Jupiter had not pushed his way into the room to see the mess Nico had made of himself. Because that would lead to questions and probably Jason forcing him to the infirmary to get looked over by Will.

Will. Tears burned in his eyes as he thought about how he had destroyed what he had with the son of Apollo. Seeing that crushing desperation in Will's eyes and knowing that he had caused it had broken Nico last night. He had had a field day with his arms, something he usually tried to avoid as it was harder to hide. Luckily for Nico, it was winter so he could get away with wearing long-sleeves without any second looks.

He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He quitted his mind and only focused on the sound of the water running in the shower. He got in when the water ran warm. He carefully started to scrub the dried blood off his arms and the cuts he had made could finally be seen. There was about four or five on each arm, and only one of them was very deep. He sighed softly as one of them started bleeding. He would have to bandage that before going out to breakfast. What would Will think of him if he saw him like this? Tears started running down Nico's face as he continued to let the hot water rain down on him.

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Nico emerged from his cabin fifteen minutes later and made his way down to the dining pavilion. He quietly entered to see that most of the camp was already seated and eating. Everyone except a certain son of Apollo. What Nico did see was Lou Ellen, Cecil, and Kayla, Will's best friends, give him a glaring look and turn back to their food, continuing their conversation in whispered tones. He set his jaw as he slid into the seat next to Jason at the table. Jason looked at him and gestured with his fork to the three who had given him the evil eye.

"What was that about?"

"Don't ask me. I have no idea." Nico paused for a moment and considered the empty seats at the table. "Where's everyone else?"

"Still waking up, I guess. I know Annabeth, Reyna, and Percy are talking to Chiron about tonight in the Big House."

"Oh, okay." Nico stared down at his plate and a single piece of toast appeared. The thought of food made Nico sick. He did not deserve to eat. Not when he had destroyed one of the few people who cared about him. He pushed the toast around on the plate for a minute before he realized Jason was talking to him.

"Nico? Hello?" The son of Hades glanced back up at him. "Is that all you're eating?"

Nico opened his mouth to make up some sort of excuse when he was interrupted. "Nico!" He looked around to see Hazel and Frank walking up to the pavilion. Leo and Calypso followed. Nico grudgingly got up to accept a hug from his sister. "Where were you yesterday? Why didn't you welcome us?"

"I was training and once I got back to the cabin, I fell asleep. I'm sorry." Nico apologized as he released his sister.

"I came to the cabin, but the door was locked, and I couldn't get in. I tried knocking, but you did not wake up. Jason walked past while I was trying to get in and told me to let you sleep. I slept in the Big House." Hazel's eyes sparkled with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I must have locked the door out of habit last night," Jason raised his eyebrow at the obvious lie but said nothing. "I didn't see you, so I forgot you guys were here. I am sorry I missed you. I was just exhausted."

"Why are you so tired?"

"I've been training a lot the past couple of weeks. And I needed to get a lot of sleep for the Solstice tonight."

"As long as you're sure you're okay," she turned back to Frank.

Jason pulled him aside, away from the crowd. He grabbed Nico's wrist, starting to push up his sleeve. Nico snatched his hand away.

"Let go of me." Jason's eyes filled with disappointment.

"I thought I talked you out of it. You should go talk to Will. Does he know?"

"He doesn't need to know everything about me and what I do 24/7!" Nico said angrily. Rage was rolling off the son of Hades. Jason took a step back. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Sorry."

"What's going on?" Hazel asked, walking up, muscles tense as she picked up on Nico's anger.

"I'm-"

"Hey, guys!" Percy Jackson came running up, saving Nico from responding. "Am I interrupting?" He noticed the tension in the way Nico, Hazel, Jason, and Frank were standing. He glanced at Nico's wrists, where the bandage was still visible and locked his gaze with Nico's.

"Everything's fine," Nico snipped. "What's up?"

Percy raised an eyebrow but ignored Nico's short tone. "Chiron wants to see us all discuss what's going on tonight."

"Alright, let's go," Jason directed. As he passed Nico, he muttered. "We will talk about this later." Nico slumped as he followed the rest of the group to the Big House.

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Most of the other head counselors were already in their seats when Nico walked in. His eyes automatically searched for Will. He cursed under his breath, reprimanding himself. He was not supposed to care about Will anymore. Was not supposed to care that Will's chair was vacant. He sat down in a chair next to Percy and put his head in his hands.

"Rough night bud?" Percy asked.

"You could say that." Silence fell between the two as the other campers started seating themselves. Percy broke it.

"Well, at any rate, I'm happy to see you."

Nico emerged from his hands and stretched out his hand to shake Percy's. "Happy to see you too."

He leaned back in his chair and surveyed everyone in the room. Reyna was sitting with perfect posture next to Chiron's spot. She nodded at Nico, who did not respond at all. She narrowed her eyes at Nico, asking him what was wrong.

Nico broke eye contact, sliding to Clarisse, who was cleaning her nails with a knife. Frank, next to her, scooted closer to Hazel who was fidgeting with a ruby that she had in her hand. Leo was tinkering with metal parts in his hand while Calypso watched him. Connor and Travis Stoll were pouring over a piece of paper, most likely planning their next prank. There was an empty seat between Travis and Piper that Nico knew was reserved for Will. Nico usually sat by him, but he had chosen to sit somewhere else. Piper was discussing something with Jason who was looking at Nico concerned. Nico turned away and looked back over to Percy who was on his right. He was still looking at him as well. Annabeth was sitting on Percy's other side and next to Chiron's chair.

"Hey," Nico looked up at Percy as he spoke. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem upset."

"I'm fine, Jackson. At any rate, there are more important things to discuss." Nico nodded toward Chiron who entered the rec room. He held up a hand and everyone fell silent.

"Good morning everyone. Today is going to be a hectic day and we need to make arrangements for tonight." Chiron looked around at the table. "Before we get started, we seem to be missing someone. Where is Will?" He looked toward Nico. Nico shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know. I don't keep tabs on him." He stated, not allowing emotion to fill his voice.

"We need to locate him because we cannot afford to go to the solstice without one of our best. Has anyone seen-" The door swung open? Nico's heart jumped thinking it was Will. It was Kayla.

"I'm sorry. Will got wrapped up with a situation with our cabin." She said breathlessly.

"Is everything under control? Is everyone okay?" Chiron questioned.

"Yeah, everyone's fine. He's handling it," she glanced at Nico, who could see the rage beneath her calm. "He will be fine for tonight. He just needed me to sit in on the meeting for him, if that's okay."

"Yes, yes. We need to get started so take your seat." She sat next to Piper, glaring at Nico again.

"As you all know, we cannot bring the entire camp because that would overwhelm Olympus. So, I've called forth demigods with the most experience with the gods and a number of quests, as well as campers from Camp Jupiter in order to represent the Romans. You all are the best of the best and I expect you to remain poised and professional while on Olympus. There will be no time for pranks," he looked pointedly at the Stoll Brothers. "Or personal drama." He glanced between Kayla and Nico. Yup, he knew something was up. "You are representing both Greek and Roman demigods and I expect your best behavior. If not, you will pay the consequences. In chores." Everyone groaned. The campers really hated getting extra chores. "Now that that is understood, let's discuss what's going to happen tonight..."

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The meeting lasted two hours, prolonged by the Stoll's asking what qualified as a prank, giving examples. Chiron got very frustrated after a while, threatening to revoke their right to go and they eventually stopped. Chiron wrapped up the meeting and dismissed everyone.

Nico made a beeline for the door, sidestepping Percy and Jason, who he did not wish to speak to at the moment. He heard them call out his name, but he was already out the door and into the grassy commons. He nodded at Hestia who was unnoticed, tending to the flames. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground as he made his way back to his cabin. He was irritated that the meeting had taken so long and was sick of all the glances he had gotten from Kayla, Jason, and Percy. He was so entrapped in his thoughts that he ran headfirst into someone. He reeled back and fell on his butt.

"Watch where you're-" Nico's voice cut off as he saw who he ran into. "Solace."

Will, who was reaching his hand out to help him up, stopped. "Di Angelo." Nico pushed himself up and stole a glance into Will's eyes. They were bloodshot and he looked like he had not slept at all. Nico had effectively destroyed him. And destroyed himself in the process.

"I- I'll see you tonight at the Solstice."

"Yeah. Make sure you keep those bandages clean." Will suggested, not meeting Nico's eyes. Nico glanced down at his arms, noticing that his shirt sleeves had been pushed up when he had fallen.

"I-I-" Nico stammered as he slowly backed up.

He turned away and quickened his pace to his cabin. He took one final glance back to see Will, standing there hopelessly, tears rolling down his face. He tried to shake the image from his mind, but it quickly imprinted there, and all Nico saws were the devastation on his ex-boyfriend's face. He arrived at his cabin and slammed the door behind him. He stumbled to his bed and buried himself in the covers, tears running down his face. What had he done?

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Jason's POV:

Something was wrong with Nico di Angelo. And he was going to get to the bottom of it. As were Percy and Reyna who was following close behind him as he made his way to the Hades cabin. His was so intent on making it to Nico that he almost missed Reyna grabbing his arm.

"Jason, stop!" He stopped and looked back at Reyna. She nodded over to the left. He followed her gesture and noticed a certain son of Apollo sitting by the fire with a young girl. They were talking quietly. Jason silently approached.

"Will?"

The blond son of Apollo whipped his head around. He sniffled and wiped at his face as he stood. Jason could see that he had been crying. "Jason, hi, hey." He shook his hand. "I'm so sorry I missed the meeting, some... family stuff came up."

Jason narrowed his eyes at the lie. He nodded at the girl who was there, and she got up and disappeared. He sat Will down. "Why don't you tell me what's really going on? Because I know it's not that."

"I-I. It's complicated." That is how he was going to play at it.

"I see. Have you talked to anyone about what is going on? Have you spoken to Nico?"

Will uncomfortably shifted when Nico's name was mentioned. The root of the problem. "I've talked to my friends about it. I'm fine."

"You aren't fine, I can obviously see that. Are you and Nico fighting?"

Will cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but that is none of your business."

"It is all of our business. We care about him and his wellbeing." Reyna pipped up.

"And he hurt himself last night!" Percy revealed. "Was it because of you?"

"Percy!" Jason warned, but the damage was already done. He glanced at Reyna's whose eyes shone with understanding.

"Oh, Reyna, this wasn't how you were supposed to find out..." Jason started.

"I made assumptions. After what he has faced- after sharing and lending him my strength... after experiencing his hardships- I figured, but I did not want to be right," she looked at Jason steadily. "But I am right?"

"We will talk about it later," Jason reassured, looking back at Will.

The news seemed to disappoint Will at first, but then hurt filled his eyes. "Well, that doesn't matter to me."

Disbelief spread across Jason's face and he was about to comment, but Reyna beat him to it.

"How dare you! Nico loves you! He trusts you! And you throw that all away!" She looked about ready to jump on the son of Apollo, but Percy held her back.

"How dare I? How dare I? I do not have to explain myself. Especially to you guys. I have been wronged and you guys are acting like this is my fault! And maybe it is, I do not know, but I am not explaining myself to you." That was the most emotion Jason had ever seen Will display. He was usually a calm, collected guy. What had happened that had gotten him so frazzled? Will stood up angrily, throwing a goodbye over his shoulder.

"What on earth happened between those two?" Percy asked, in shock over Will's reaction.

"I have no idea, but I intend to find out."

"So, it's true. Nico cuts himself?" Reyna asked.

Jason glared at Percy. "Yes, but it's not really our place to talk about."

Reyna laughed bitterly. "And you think Nico will? You don't know him as well as I thought you did."

Percy looked sheepishly at Jason. "I assumed Reyna knew. I thought you and Nico were closer than that."

"Nico didn't tell anyone, willingly. Will found out when he was healing him. I found out- I found Nico hurting himself once and had to stop him. Percy found out because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do not think Nico has ever admitted that he does self-harm. Everyone who knows found out by accident."

"How long has he been doing it?" Jason shook his head at Reyna's question.

"Since before I knew him," was his response.

Reyna's eyes were filled with sadness. "I need to go talk to him."

Jason grabbed her arm before she went racing down the hill. "No, no. Nico is trying to isolate himself as it is. If he finds out that Percy or I told you, he would completely lose his trust in us and cut us off as friends."

"I can't just stand on the sidelines as he mutilates himself!"

"We are going to look out for him," Percy reassured.

"Because you've done so well at that the past couple of months!" Reyna retorted.

"Enough. We all had responsibilities to fulfill. Will reassured that Nico was fine and had everything handled. But I think Nico lied to him." Jason explained. He put his hand on her shoulder. "You have to give him the time to tell you on his own."

"Do you think he will?" She asked, quietly.

"It might take some time, but yes. I do think he will confide in you. He just needs time."

Reyna nodded. "I understand. You just have to promise to keep me in the loop about what's happening."

"And I am about to find out what is happening with Nico and Will." He marched down the hill back to the Big House.

"Why aren't we going to Nico?" Percy asked. Jason gave him a pointed look.

"Will didn't open up, you really think Nico would? And he skirted all my questions this morning. We are going to someone who I think will have some answers." He forced his way through the house until he arrived at the infirmary. The door slammed open and Kayla jumped at the loud bang. She was the only one in the infirmary. The door shut behind Percy as he was the last one to enter. Reyna looked at Kayla.

"What in Hades name happened to Nico and Will? Because if I am not mistaken, they were fine two days ago."

"I thought he would have gotten you guys on his side," Kayla said, questioningly.

"Side?"

"Nico hasn't and will continue not to tell us anything. We are not taking any sides. We want what's best for both of them." Jason calmly stated.

"Nico broke up with Will." Kayla revealed.

"What?-"

"You're kidding?!-"

"What was his reason?-" they all said at the same time.

"He didn't really give a clear one. Let me start at the beginning. Two days ago, Will got home in the middle of the night. He went to go check on Nico and he found him all beat up and bruised. Nico said that someone had attacked him, but he did not say who.

"Will healed Nico, and in the process, knocked himself out. When Nico woke the next morning, he rushed Will to the infirmary to heal. He stayed with him all day until he and I had a little conversation. I said some things I regret, and those things might have led to him breaking up with Nico. Anyway, I was scared... about how Nico was feeling. So, I sent Jason after him."

"I could tell he wasn't okay especially since I defeated him so easily in our duel-"

"Wait, you dueled him? When he was in that state?!" Kayla exclaimed.

Jason turned red, and guilt crept into his system. "I- I wasn't going to hurt him. And he was not talking to me or anything. I had to engage him. Anyway, the point is he was really upset, and I eventually took him back to his cabin. I thought he was going to cut himself, but he didn't have any cuts on his wrists, so I thought he had stopped-"

"We might want to watch what we talk about in-" Kayla's eyes slid over to Reyna and Percy. "-present company."

Jason waved her concern off. "They already know. Percy found out a while ago, and he dropped the ball with Reyna."

"I'm sorry," Percy bemoaned.

"I had already suspected, Percy. You just confirmed my suspicions." Reyna said.

"At any rate, the reason he didn't have cuts on his wrist is that Will had healed him that morning. I don't think Nico has ever stopped cutting himself." Kayla admitted. "Will asked me to watch him while he was away finishing school at his mother's. I tried. I really did. But eventually, things got hectic, and I was not able to check on him every day, and he started disappearing for days. Will made it my responsibility to make sure he was okay and stayed safe and did not cut and I failed to do that. His progress completely disappeared. This is all on me." Kayla stated, tears filling her eyes.

"This is not just on you, Kayla," Jason reassured. "Nico tends to disappear so Will shouldn't have expected you to know where he is 24/7. At any rate, we have all been friends with Nico for way longer and none of us noticed his condition deteriorating. We all were not here for him. This is on us too. We are his friends and we neglected to be there for him. I promise that we are going to change that." Jason declared. The room fell silent before Kayla continued with her story.

"After Nico went back to his cabin, he eventually came back to the infirmary. Will had woken up and he was blaming me for Nico getting so terrible. He really got so much worse. And Nico came in as we were talking about him and heard some terrible things, we said about him. He started yelling at Will and Will started yelling back so I left. I came back after about ten minutes and found Will sobbing on the floor. He explained that Nico broke up with him and said that he didn't love him anymore and that he didn't need him to protect him and that he thought Will was pathetic."

"That doesn't really sound like Nico. Except for the whole protecting thing because he does have an issue with that." Jason analyzed.

"Are we sure it's not just a self-deprecating thing? Because we all know that he is his worst enemy." Percy asked.

"Will said that he said he wasn't, but I'm guessing that that has a lot to do with it," Kayla said.

"But this kid, even if that is it, broke my brother's heart and I'm not too happy with him. It took me, Lou Ellen, and Cecil a good two hours to calm him down and get him into bed. He slept all through the meeting, that's why I came."

"I'm not too happy with him either. He handled this poorly and I am upset that he did not let any of us know that he was hurting himself. We can help him!" Reyna was agitated.

"That's part of the problem though," Jason stated. "He doesn't want any help. He is pushing everyone away who tries to help him. I think a combination of him hating on himself, Will being a helicopter, and the confrontations he had with Kayla and Will are what led to the breakup. We understand why we think they broke up. Now we need to talk to him, make sure he and Will are okay first off, and try to get them to talk to each other because I hate seeing them so upset. It's destroying them."

"I know me too. Will is upset with Nico, but he is going to fight for him and is ready to fight to get him back. Lou Ellen, Cecil, and I tried to convince him not to because Nico broke his heart, but he was adamant. We at least convinced him to give Nico a little bit of space before he tries to talk to him," Kayla mentioned.

"That was probably wise. Nico might panic if faced with too many confrontations at once. We should go check on him. He was really upset this morning, and we don't want him to hurt himself again." Jason said.

"Yeah, that might be wise. Who knows what he could do to himself when he's this upset." Kayla said. They all exchanged worried glances before the trio exited the infirmary.

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Nico's POV:

The door creaking open woke Nico. He was having a really nice nap too before he was so rudely awakened. He heard mumbled voices before Reyna's rang out.

"Nico?" He stayed silent, knowing he would be in for a lecture if he said anything. He heard footsteps approach, felt a hand touch, and examine his wrist and the figure retreated to the door. "He's asleep."

"He said he slept all through the night. I do not believe that for a minute. He's dead on his feet." Jason murmured. "He's lacking sleep and food."

"He hasn't eaten at all today? Should we wake him?" Percy's voice.

"No, he needs time to rest before tonight and to heal. He needs to be presentable in front of the gods. How bad were his wrists?" Jason asked.

"They are healed except for a few cuts on each wrist. But remember, Will had just healed him." Reyna reported.

Nico's heart stopped. Reyna was not supposed to know about his self-harm. That meant that Percy and/or Jason had told her. He felt betrayed; he could not trust anyone anymore.

"Well, hopefully, we can talk to Will or another Apollo kid and get him checked out. Make sure they are healing nicely." Percy's voice suggested.

"He will let that happen, but we can hope." Jason pointed out. They were silent for a few minutes.

"We should let him sleep. Should we send Hazel in here to watch over him? Make sure he doesn't do anything?" Reyna asked. So, they are trying to put surveillance on me now huh? Nico thought.

"Hazel would ask why, and we don’t need to let another person know about his self-harm-"

"How many times do I need to apologize?" Percy moaned.

"It's not us you need to apologize to, Perce," Jason reminded.

"I already told you that I suspected-" Reyna stated. "Let us just leave him be for now. We will send someone to check on him every hour or so. Make sure he's asleep or be with him when he wakes."

Nico heard mumbles of the agreement before the door closed with a squeak. Nico was left alone. He rubbed at his eyes, stopping the tears that were threatening to come. He wanted to open up, but that would make him weak. He did not need help. He did not need friends. He especially did not need friends who told his secrets. He needed to be alone. He turned over and tried to fall back asleep.


End file.
